Quarry and Open Pit Blasting

Summary

The Quarry and Open Pit Blasting course will teach attendees how to design and optimize blasts in surface blasting operations. This course will teach the key concepts of advanced pattern design, case studies, vibration control and minimization, fragmentation optimization through blasting, basics of blasting geology, wall control techniques, and how to control muckpile height and throw for loaders and shovels.

Brief Course Outline

Rock Breakage Mechanisms

Advanced Explosive Selection and Testing

Priming and Boosting for Fragmentation, Efficiency, and Cost

Fragmentation Size Distribution

Initiators and Delay Devices

Advanced Burden Design

Advanced Stemming Design

Subdrill Design

Stiffness Ratio

Advanced Spacing Design

Advanced Timing Design

Production Pattern Designs

Adjusting Blasting to Field Conditions

Wall Control Methods

Advanced Presplit Design

Blasting Management

Blasting Safety

Vibration Control

Damage Control

Adjustment of Blast Patterns for Vibration

Airblast Control

Who should take this course?

This course is a must for those involved with surface blasting operations including blasters, engineers, and managers. The rock blasting industry has radically changed in the past 10 years and new techniques are available to easily deal with toes, boulders, and achieving slope angles while maintaining high production. In accordance with this, new regulations are being written for vibration, not based on damage but based the human perception of vibration. With the new regulations along with the increasing demand for production modern, cost-effective blasting techniques must be employed to stay competitive.

This course should also be taken by geologists, geotechnical engineers, explosive engineers, distributors, and company executives to ensure that all levels understand how to use explosive and proper blasting techniques to achieve their desired goals.